Chapter 301

Li Sanjiang leaned forward, his butt suspended, half-kneeling on the tiles with circles drawn on them, watching the young man sitting cross-legged in the circle opposite him, his hands waving continuously.

Look at this serious gaze, then look at this solemn expression, including the small movements of the hand gestures changing continuously, one set after another, without repetition.

Hey, don't say, his own Xiao Brother Yuan Hou doing these tricks, it really looks like the real thing!

Li Sanjiang immediately felt a sense of pride that there was someone to succeed him.

But soon, this thought was extinguished by Li Sanjiang himself, reflecting on what kind of thing he was thinking about.

Was his own trade a good trade? It was impossible to let the child walk his own path in the future, right?

But these words of advice just turned to his throat, and were swallowed back by himself.

After all, if other people's children were tinkering with this, you could really say something, but his own Xiao Brother Yuan Hou had long been admitted to college, and his internship had started for quite a while, so the child just had a good brain and had learned some things by remembering them when following him to sit in the fast back then.

Hmm, just paper-pasting surface work, not to be taken seriously.

At this moment, the child was doing it seriously. Even if he knew it was fake, he still wanted to pray for a blessing for himself, fulfilling a heart's wish. Then he would just accept it well, letting the child feel at ease and happy in his heart.

Touching his pocket, he took out a cigarette and lit it. Li Sanjiang unloaded all the burdens in his heart, just watching his own great-grandson continue to work hard.

He didn't know if it was because the light bulb overhead was aging again, or if the smoke he spat out didn't dissipate in time, or if his eyesight wasn't good, but why did his own Xiao Brother Yuan Hou look like he had been lit up?

Li Sanjiang licked his lips. This light was good. If he could have this kind of light when he went out to perform rituals in the future, wouldn't the host feel more at ease?

"Great-Grandfather, matches."

"Oh, okay."

Li Sanjiang threw the matchbox over.

Li Zhuiyuan pulled a match from it, struck it, and then lit the yellow paper in his hand.

Li Sanjiang, with a cigarette in his hand, pointed out: "Xiao Brother Yuan Hou, this yellow paper can't be lit from the corner. This way it rushes up too fast, and the movements can't be done in time..."

Li Zhuiyuan slapped the yellow paper in his hand onto the ground.

"Slap."

Li Sanjiang's gaze blurred, his body leaned forward, and he fell directly onto the tiles, falling asleep.

Succeeded.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up, helped his Great-Grandfather, who was half-asleep and half-fainted, onto the bed, and covered him with a quilt.

After tidying up the room floor, refilling the water in Great-Grandfather's tea mug, and cleaning the ashtray, Li Zhuiyuan returned to his room, picked up a washbasin, and went to the shower room outside to take a bath.

When he came out after washing, he heard Great-Grandfather's snoring getting louder, quite a feeling of returning vitality.

After standing at the door for a while, Li Zhuiyuan returned to his room, got on the bed, closed his eyes, and prepared to dream.

The dream came very quickly. Li Zhuiyuan found himself appearing on a floating bed again, but the black water below was retreating continuously, and finally, this bed ran aground.

Looking around, it was the familiar Forbidden City environment, but everything inside and out seemed to have been soaked in black ink.

In the dream, Li Zhuiyuan covered himself with the quilt again and continued to sleep.

As the morning light revealed clues, the light in the east room was already on.

Liu Yumei helped her granddaughter comb her hair, her face gently pressed against hers, looking at the two grandmother and granddaughter in the mirror.

After admiring it, Liu Yumei said:

"Come, Grandma will change your medicine."

Taking out the medicine box, preparing to grab her granddaughter's hand, the granddaughter retracted her hand.

Liu Yumei didn't force it either: "Then take the medicine box up, and let Xiao Yuan change it for you after he wakes up."

A Li delivered the retracted hand to Grandma again.

Liu Yumei was amused: "Don't want to trouble Xiao Yuan, but it's fine to trouble Grandma, right?"

After unwrapping, reapplying medicine, and wrapping it back up, Liu Yumei tied a beautiful knot.

A Li shook her head.

"Okay, okay, okay."

Liu Yumei untied the knot and tied a knot the same as Xiao Yuan's.

A Li placed the back of her hand in front of her to look at it, seemingly not very satisfied either.

The same knot, not tied by the same person, the feeling was just different.

Liu Yumei pretended not to see it.

After A Li pushed open the door and walked out, Liu Yumei turned to look at the group of spirit tablets on the offering table, and pointed to the direction A Li had left earlier.

On this offering table, counting one by one, regardless of Qin or Liu, they were all A Li's elders.

So, this bitter smile couldn't be laughed by her alone.

For Li Zhuiyuan, every day after returning home brought anticipation.

The punctual biological clock made him wake up at a fixed time. Turning his head, he opened his eyes.

A Li in a green dress was standing at the drawing table. The girl wasn't painting, but preparing pigments.

Returning yesterday, everything was hurried. The experiences of the last wave hadn't been told yet. Today, it surely had to be told, and then she would start painting.

Li Zhuiyuan sat up, and the girl also turned her head to look at him.

This style of clothing was often not suitable for young girls to wear, because they were often cut in proportion to adult styles, which made young girls look old-fashioned when wearing them.

However, A Li's clothes were all designed by Liu Yumei herself and then customized separately, so naturally, this problem didn't exist. She looked youthful, spirited, and exquisite.

Li Zhuiyuan remembered that in the wave of the Jade Void Daoist's big fish, he had seen the portrait of that female Long Wang of the Liu family. The attire of that female Long Wang in the painting was a bit like what A Li was wearing now.

After washing up, the young man walked back. A Li was sitting on a rattan chair at the door, holding two cans of Jianlibao in her hand.

Li Zhuiyuan lay down on the rattan chair beside her, playing chess while recounting his experiences in the last wave.

This chess game was played until the door closed, and the last wave was recounted until the noodle soup on Liu Yi's stove was rolling:

"Time for breakfast!"

Li Zhuiyuan held A Li's hand and went downstairs. Just as he sat down and peeled a salted duck egg, he heard the sound of someone walking down the stairs.

"Aiyo hey, ah~~~"

Li Sanjiang first stretched a big stretch, then looked up, a series of miscellaneous sounds coming from his throat, and spat a powerful mouthful of saliva outside the dam.

Although he still leaned forward when walking and couldn't straighten his waist, his past spirit had completely returned.

Liu Yi: "Uncle Sanjiang, your complexion is truly good today. It seems that your great-grandson returning is more effective than any elixir."

Li Sanjiang laughed and said: "That's for sure!"

After breakfast, Li Sanjiang wanted to go out for a walk. He had been lying at home recuperating for a while and hadn't gone out; he was truly suffocating.

Li Zhuiyuan walked forward and persuaded: "Great-Grandfather, you just got better, you should recuperate for two more days."

Li Sanjiang shook his head: "It's not popular to lie down for a long time in the village. If I lie down any longer, someone will come to ask if they need to prepare yellow paper and gold ingots for me in advance."

Li Zhuiyuan accompanied his Great-Grandfather out for a walk.

The two had just walked from the small path onto the village road when they heard the sound of a tricycle behind them. It was Runsheng riding out.

"Runsheng Hou, going to Xiting to see Shan Pao?"

"Hmm, supplementing food for my grandpa, and the stake money for losing at cards."

"Okay, go ahead, be careful on the road."

"Okay, Uncle Li."

Runsheng looked at Xiao Yuan, smiled, and then rode the tricycle away.

Arriving at the village under Xiting Town, from far away, Runsheng saw the cooking smoke rising from his own chimney.

Parking the tricycle in the courtyard, Runsheng walked into the house, lifted the stove cover, and inside was sweet potato porridge boiling. There was no one behind the stove.

Runsheng went to check the rice jar again. There was still rice inside, and salted fish and sausages were hanging on the roof beam.

Shan Shan Daye, who had just finished using the porcelain jar at the neighbor's house early in the morning, walked in from the small kitchen door while tying his pants waist rope.

Seeing Runsheng here, he immediately retreated two steps, hid behind the wall, quickly tied his waist rope and tucked it into his pants, and only then walked in again.

"Runsheng Hou, you're back."

"Hmm, I'm back, Grandpa."

Shan Shan Daye deliberately said loudly: "Heh heh, I used to eat too much sweet potato and it caused heartburn. Now I haven't eaten it for a while, and I actually miss it quite a bit. It just so happens I boiled quite a lot. Let's drink some together to nourish our stomachs."

It was indeed boiled quite a lot. In the past, during busy farming seasons, people in the village liked to boil a large pot of porridge early in the morning. After the porridge cooled and set, they would use chopsticks to divide it into a few pieces, dividing it into three fixed meals for morning, noon, and night.

Of course, Shan Shan Daye didn't do this because he didn't have time to work in the fields; it was purely because he was lazy.

Runsheng served two bowls of porridge and placed them on the table, added two pickled melon strips to his grandfather's bowl, knocked a salted duck egg, and lit a stick of incense for himself.

Shan Shan Daye went around the courtyard, shook his arms, and flicked his legs, saying:

"Sigh, eating fine food every meal, my body actually doesn't have as much strength as before. People, you just can't enjoy blessings. If you enjoy too many blessings, your body will become soft. I've been smoking soft cigarettes all these days. Yesterday someone gave me a hard one, damn it, I'm not used to it anymore, it cuts my throat, haha!"

After speaking, he waited for a while. Seeing no response, Shan Shan Daye walked into the house with some confusion:

"Runsheng Hou, did Mengmeng walk to the town supply and marketing cooperative? This tricycle isn't still in the courtyard."

Seeing the two bowls of porridge on the table again, Shan Shan Daye scratched his head, said "Oh," and said:

"Mengmeng didn't come today, no wonder."

Shan Shan Daye was like a student with good recent grades waiting for praise, but found that his parents didn't arrive this time, and couldn't help but feel a bit listless.

After sitting down, he dug into his pocket and placed the money on the table.

There wasn't much money, but the paper bills were folded very neatly, and the small change was also stacked up. This had been specially organized in advance.

Cards were played, and money was lost, but it wasn't all lost, and the food and drink at home weren't all used up. Compared to the past, it was indeed a quite large improvement.

Picking up the chopsticks, he shoveled two mouthfuls of porridge, then put down the chopsticks, and said to Runsheng:

"Runsheng Hou, after you go back, you tell Mengmeng that I have surplus money and surplus grain this time..."

Shan Shan Daye frowned and waved his hand:

"No, can't say that. That girl will think you are deliberately favoring me, and you two joined forces to lie to her."

Pausing, Shan Shan Daye said again: "Did you bring money, Runsheng Hou?"

Runsheng nodded and took out two portions of money from his pocket. One was for daily expenses, and the other was much thicker, used for losing at cards.

Shan Shan Daye revealed a smile, took the money, organized it, and said:

"How about this, in two days I'll go to Sanjiang Hou's place to see that old immortal, and incidentally buy some things for Mengmeng to bring over, not going empty-handed.

Runsheng Hou, what did you say that girl Mengmeng likes? Clothes, I definitely don't need this old man to buy. Right, this girl likes to eat snacks. I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy some of everything.

Zhang San Hou goes to the city to work every day. I'll go find him tonight and ask him to help buy a few bags of hot pot seasoning in the city. That girl surely loves that."

Shan Shan Daye rambled on with his plans.

He never married in his life. When he brought Runsheng back to raise him, he actually didn't know how to play the role of a good grandfather (father). Anyway, Runsheng was tough since childhood. If he fell or bumped, he would rub it himself and get up. He didn't get sick either. When they were out of food, the two of them would starve together, and when they lay on the bed, he would tell stories and Runsheng Hou would fall asleep.

When Runsheng became an adult and his appetite became even larger, Shan Shan Daye threw Runsheng Hou to Li Sanjiang's place. That old thing could make money, and life was comfortable. Following him, Runsheng Hou could eat and drink well.

He thought he could be relaxed from then on, but in the end, the responsibility he should bear still couldn't be escaped.

Sometimes, Shan Shan Daye truly hoped Runsheng Hou could be like other young men in the village, forgetting his parents after marrying a wife.

He would just muddle through on his own. No matter how tight life was, in the fields of the village, it was impossible to want to starve to death.

It just so happened that Runsheng Hou was a filial one, and it just so happened that girl Mengmeng didn't care. He wanted to send him alimony. You girl, you just let him send it?

Send it then... At first, Shan Shan Daye took it quite happily. It was just that every time that girl came, she had to point at the mulberry and scold the locust, lecturing him.

Aiyo, the daughter-in-law married with a dowry scolds her father-in-law at home. Most fathers-in-law don't dare to talk back, let alone his own broken-down appearance. Where was there any room to talk back? He could only lower his head and take it.

At first, someone in the village asked him if he and Runsheng bought a wife from a human trafficker. Otherwise, what decent woman would take a fancy to your old Lu family?

The rumor spread for a while and then stopped. It wasn't that rumors stop with the wise, but that the old Lu family didn't have a fart's worth of money to buy a wife!

For this matter, Li Sanjiang scolded him quite a bit, and he didn't take it too much to heart, until Mengmeng specifically gave him money for losing cards, and stopped lecturing him.

This time, Shan Shan Daye was truly ashamed. He learned from his mistakes, endured and endured, and finally achieved a surplus.

The significance of trying to perform is that you have to prove that even if you can't help Runsheng with anything, being a burden... at least you aren't a bottomless pit of a burden.

"Grandpa."

"Ah, what's wrong?"

"Mengmeng, she's not returning to Nantong for the time being. She's staying in her hometown in the mountain city, and will live there for a while."

"For a while... how long is that?"

"Two or three years."

Upon hearing this, Shan Shan Daye was struck by lightning, sitting straight on the long bench.

He hadn't eaten pork but had seen pigs run. Shan Shan Daye knew what it meant for a man and woman dating to be separated for two or three years. There was no need for two or three years; being separated for more than three months was equivalent to completely breaking up.

Runsheng finished the porridge and rode the tricycle to the town supply and marketing cooperative to buy daily necessities for his grandfather. When he returned, he found his grandfather still sitting on the long bench, the porridge bowl in front of him untouched.

Runsheng didn't know how to comfort people; he didn't have that kind of brain.

So, he went to the courtyard and started chopping firewood.

In fact, Runsheng didn't understand what it meant to date. He didn't even know clearly whether he and Mengmeng counted as dating, nor did he know exactly when they started dating.

He felt that Xiao Yuan and A Li, although young, were a standard match made in heaven. When the two were at home, they were almost inseparable, and they could sit on the balcony together, pointing at the stars in the sky while playing chess.

A Li clearly couldn't speak, but when the two were together, it was as if they had endless things to say.

He had also seen how Tan Wenbin and Zhou Yunyun got together. High school classmates, and they got into the same university.

Before, when Tan Wenbin was at home, he often mentioned his class monitor. Loud voice, bad temper, often finding fault with him and reporting him to the teacher, ending with: It's just that she looks okay.

Then, they dated. Both sides met the parents, and everything went smoothly, just waiting for graduation.

Before, when watching the shop at university, Runsheng often saw those college couples. They were very natural and generous. Sometimes, even in front of many people, they didn't delay doing some intimate actions.

He had seen many examples, but Runsheng just couldn't find where his corresponding example was.

Runsheng didn't understand what the feeling of heartbeat was.

Although, he had seen it on Lin Shu You when Lin Shu You was preparing to write a love letter to Zhou Yunyun.

But he didn't have this feeling when he first saw Yin Meng in the coffin shop in Fengdou Ghost Street. Even now, he still didn't have it.

It seemed that he didn't know on which day, seeing her busy and sweating, he thought about handing her a jar of cool boiled water soaked with agastache leaves, seeing her mouth idle and wanting to find some snacks for her, seeing her like spicy food and putting more chili when cooking, seeing her envy those female college students dressed brightly and beautifully, and handing all the bonuses he received every month to her so she could buy clothes.

Then, Yin Meng saw his clothes were broken and old, and would also buy him clothes. When everyone was injured, she would be the first to come to check his injuries, putting him first very naturally, and even took the initiative to offer to accompany him to buy daily necessities for his grandfather.

There was no delicacy like Xiao Yuan's, nor the beauty of Tan Wenbin walking through youth together. Runsheng only had a kind of tacit understanding here.

I will subconsciously treat you well, and you, will also subconsciously treat me well.

The feeling of "heartbeat" should be lively and fresh, right? But here, it was a bit rough.

Rough, it could grind the hand, could be touched, could know it truly existed. It didn't jump, wasn't lively, which also meant it was very hard to deteriorate.

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

Small wooden piles were neatly split by Runsheng. When the firewood was burned out, it had to be split. After splitting, it had to be burned, repeating over and over, day after day.

Not to mention the earth-shattering or tender love in romance, in fact, it was very hard for most people's lives to make any noise, and they couldn't live a nourishing life either.

Fireworks are beautiful, but they are usually set off by a few people, and most people stand on the periphery looking up.

After the firewood was split, Runsheng stacked them neatly against the wall.

Clapping his hands, he turned around and looked into the house.

But he saw Shan Shan Daye already streaming with tears.

"Grandpa, you..."

"Runsheng Hou, it's me who became a burden to you!"

"No, Grandpa, it has nothing to do with you."

"It's not because of me, what else could it be? You couldn't possibly have quarreled with that girl Mengmeng. I know you, it must be because of me. Just like what Sanjiang Hou said, it's because I'm not promising, dragging you down and making you unable to form a family. Aiyo!"

"Grandpa, you think too highly of yourself."

Shan Shan Daye: "..."

Runsheng scratched his head. He wasn't mocking his own grandfather, but Mengmeng couldn't return because of the Fengdou Great Emperor, and what did it have to do with an ordinary aging corpse-salvager in Nantong.

Shan Shan Daye's emotions were interrupted by Runsheng. He stopped howling and asked instead:

"She stayed in her hometown, why did you return to Nantong?"

"I will go pick her up, but I don't have the ability now. I have to wait until I'm successful before talking about it."

Shan Shan Daye's face turned bitter. Forget it, it was still because their family conditions were too poor, still because of him.

"Runsheng Hou, why don't you go to the mountain city again, grind some more, beg some more, girls have soft hearts, maybe..."

"Grandpa, I can't grind anymore."

With the eighteen levels of hell lying across, he couldn't go up now.

Shan Shan Daye didn't drink the porridge either, lay on the straw mat, facing inward, pillowing his hands and curling his legs.

"Grandpa, the things are all ready, I'm going back. There are still things to do at Uncle Li's place."

Shan Shan Daye raised his hand to wave, then put it back down.

Runsheng rode the tricycle away.

After lying for I don't know how long, someone came to shout outside: "Uncle Shan, Uncle Shan, time to play cards, come play cards!"

Shan Shan Daye didn't react at first. The person outside moved from the main room door to the bedroom window, shouting at the inside through the screen:

"Uncle Shan, sleeping in the middle of the morning, play cards!"

Shan Shan Daye exploded, his eyes red as he shouted at the person outside the window:

"Play cards, play cards, play your dead person's cards! I won't play cards ever again!"

After finishing his walk in the morning, Li Sanjiang's spirit was even better, but the tailbone there was even more painful. ===== CHAPTER 302 =====